In Which Embracing In the Air Gets You Too Much Attention
by SweetCarnation
Summary: The very next day, Markl rushed home without any of the ingredients Howl tasked him to buy, exclaiming quite loudly for all of the vicinity to hear, "Sophie! Master Howl! You're in the journal! But they called you, what's that, an a-l-ien?" Howl and Sophie, quite fluffy


**First try at HMC, please be nice **

**A little promotion, go listen to Fragments of Hearts of the Ni No Kuni OST, it's worth it, especially if it's the first time. And also watch Ni No Kunis Let's Plays, if you don't have the game. Every minute is worth the time you spent. :3**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing at all…. **

**In Which Embracing In the Air Gets You Too Much Attention**

"Howl! I can't do this!" exclaimed Sophie Hatter, clinging to the wizard's shoulders with all her might as he moved backwards by a step's length. He chuckled lightly, the sound agitating the nervous butterflies in Sophie's stomach, and he secured his grip on her waist to calm her down.

"But Sophie, dearest, there's nothing to fear," he tried smoothly, "or don't you trust me?" he ended with a pout, trying to muster his most disappointed face. Sophie only rolled her eyes; living months with an enthusiastic and flamboyant wizard had a tendency to ruin one's ability to feel some compassion towards said wizard, especially if he tried to put on his most miserable face to tug at your heartstrings.

She only stepped backwards to clutch the balcony's rail, feeling more safe than before, when her life depended on a flashy wizard to not drop her about a hundred meters below, onto the city. Before, Sophie felt she could trust Howl with walking in the air when the moving castle was well-rested on the concrete and sturdy ground, but now, with the addition of wings and the ability to fly high in the skies, the eldest Hatter wasn't so sure about the amount of trust she could put into Howl's magic, especially with the prank he played on her last week.

Howl, wanting to liven up the castle as he was bored out of his mind, cast a spell on her, and it wasn't until Sophie found herself floating and resting against the ceiling that she yelled at the laughing wizard, not finding the situation funny in the least. Finally, after teasing her mercilessly for about an hour and not relenting until Sophie threatened to move out when the spell wore off, Howl took back the words he used earlier, catching Sophie in his arms bridal style and grinning boyishly at her.

No need to say, Sophie stayed cross with him for about a week, trying to ignore him as best as possible.

And today, after Howl begged heavens and hell (or more like sauntered about, annoying the young woman with his presence), Sophie accepted to give him a chance to apologize, which came in the form of teaching her how to walk in the air, like the day they met.

Howl, seeing that she had lost her confidence, took Sophie's hands in his warm ones, looking uncharacteristically concerned. "Sophie? Are you alright?" he asked softly, an odd light lighting his blue eyes and making his gaze look worried, worried he had pushed her too far.

Sophie, meanwhile, ordered the raving butterflies in her stomach to _Calm down, you beasts!_, and stammered out a, "I-I'm fine, it's just that I'm…I'm not used to walk this high in the air."

Understanding that she was in discomfort, Howl just threw his arms around her shoulders to bring Sophie into a meaningful hug, enjoying the contact and warmth. He buried his nose into her hair as she wrapped her own upper members around his waist, taking fistfuls of the white billowy shirt he wore underneath his infamous gray and scarlet checkered jacket, not hesitating like the first few times they embraced, and also not stiffening up like a straight wooden board. _She smells like flowers, _thought Howl absentmindedly.

"Want to try again?" he asked after moments, voice muffled by Sophie's silvery hair. She seemed to nod slowly, as if still unsure of herself, but still remained in his embrace as he took a step backwards, forcing her to go forward slightly. He murmured something that sounded oddly like, "_Trust me Sophie,_" and at once, he jumped from the balcony's edge.

He felt her tighten her grasp even more and press her head against his collarbone harder, but she was soon compelled to look around. Instead of reducing contact with Howl, Sophie only rested her chin against his shoulder to look behind him, into the blue skies and puffy clouds.

When he asked why she didn't want to take a look around, she only replied, "I don't want to look down." He merely chuckled in response, a deep sound reverberating in his throat and staining Sophie's cheeks with a color similar to the sunset.

And they stayed floating in each other's arms until their stomachs felt the need to break the lovely quiet and rare moment they were having.

-x-x-x-

The very next day, Markl rushed home without any of the ingredients Howl tasked him to buy, exclaiming quite loudly for all of the vicinity to hear, "Sophie! Master Howl! You're in the journal! But they called you, what's that, an _a-l-ien?_"

**Endso.**

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_03/09/13: [Edit]: changed Sophie's hair color to silver (this is movie-verse, after all, with little Markl) _


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